Communicating with Nature and Animals
Sunday 13th September to Saturday 19th September 2026
Promised Land, Gleniffer, NSW
A Retreat of Deep Connection with Horses, Animals & the More-Than-Human World
You are warmly invited to join us for Healing with Animals. A gentle yet powerful immersion into the realms of interspecies communication and equine-facilitated learning. A residential retreat designed for those who long to listen more deeply to the voices of the natural world.
Held in the quiet beauty of Gleniffer’s Promised Land, nestled between forested hills and under wide starlit skies. This hybrid retreat offers a rare opportunity to explore the spaces where inner awareness and wild intelligence meet.
Over six days, Jacqueline Buckingham and Ben Skerrett will guide you in remembering how to hear the voices of nature and animals. You will learn to listen, not just with your ears but with your whole being. Along the way, and supported by a wise and sensitive herd of horses, you’ll engage in heart-led practices. These will open the way for real connection – with yourself, with other species, and with the land itself.
Guided by Horses
The horses will be your teachers. They will be your mirrors and your companions as you experience equine-facilitated learning. You’ll begin to sense the subtle energetic and emotional signals that shape every interaction — human and non-human.
As prey animals, horses live in deep awareness of the present moment. So they read silences and reflect concealed truths, and offer feedback that is both raw and exquisitely kind.
With their support, you’ll begin to notice the unconscious patterns that influence how you show up in relationship. You’ll gently begin to shift them. This awareness is the foundation of trust, empathy, and true connection across species.
Listening Without Words
As your sensitivity deepens, you will learn interspecies communication – the intuitive language that flows between all beings. These whispered words are most accessible when we are still and at peace. With practice, you will learn to listen with your whole body.
You’ll have multiple opportunities to practice telepathic communication. You can practise with the horses, with the animals in your own life, or with the wild beings who live on the seventy-acre property.
You may find yourself in quiet dialogue with a possum at dusk. Maybe meet the steady gaze of a watchful hawk or glimpse a shy platypus.. Or notice the way a tree listens. You may sense the presence of elemental beings. All of nature is in conversation – step in and join that conversation.
Living in Harmony with the Land
Each day will follow a gentle rhythm: beginning with mindful movement and morning meditations. As the learning and practising aspects unfold, the days will encompass time for integration, ‘Sit Spot’, quiet wandering, and shared reflections.
Three nourishing meals a day will be provided and created with care by our onsite camp cook. You’ll sleep close to the land, with options for camping or glamping on site. In the evenings, we’ll gather around the fire — stories rising with the smoke, stars wheeling overhead.
This retreat is suitable for anyone age 16 and older. Whether you have experience or none in animal communication or equine-facilitated learning, you are welcome. It is for those ready to go deeper – exploring the mystery, beauty, and humility of kinship with the more-than-human world.
YOU WILL LEARN:
– To develop a deeper awareness of your emotions and how they affect your relationship with your animals
– New skills to increase your intuitive sensing
– To read the subtle energies of other beings
– How to understand all species, any time, anywhere
– To access, acknowledge and heal the dysfunctional energy in your relationship with your animal
– To release any blocks to listening fully with all of your senses
– How to release and heal the emotional pain of past trauma
– To connect to your higher self and develop fully your empathic and intuitive abilities
OUTCOMES:
– Reawaken your innate telepathic abilities
– Embody a more authentic and loving presence
– Experience the natural world through new eyes
– Freedom from emotional and mental blocks to connection
– Tune-in to any aspect of nature and hear its response
– Build deeper relationship with all animals: domesticated & wild
– The ability to connect with the unseen realms including nature spirits & elemental beings
USEFUL INFORMATION:
DATES & TIMES
2pm Sunday 13th September to 12pm Saturday 19th September 2026
LOCATION
Promised Land, Gleniffer, nr Bellingen, NSW 2454
CAMPING / GLAMPING
Camping brings us closer to nature, promoting mindfulness and a sense of tranquility. The simple act of waking up to birdsong or stargazing at night can be profoundly grounding and rejuvenating. It also allows us to fully relax into time on the land, away from the concerns of the outside world, and create a shared nature-immersed experience.
Option 1: Camping in the familiar surroundings of your own tent or camper van.
This is the most economical option, and pitch fees are included with your ticket. There is no limit on the size of tent you can bring, from a humble one-person tent to a family-size walk-in tent. Please contact us if you wish to bring a camper van so that we can ensure there is a suitable location for it to be parked (no electric hook-up).
Option 2: Glamping in a bell tent *
If you prefer more comfortable surroundings consider hiring a bell tent, for yourself or to share with others. Equipped with double-height king or queen airbeds, all bedding and linen (excl. towels), floor mats, bedside tables with pre-charged lanterns and solar fairy lights outside the doors. Made for Australian conditions, they feature inner flyscreen doors and 360 degree flyscreen walls with a zipped-in groundsheet, and are designed to withstand the harsh rays of the sun, high winds and heavy rain. Please email Jacqueline for a booking form
Campsite facilities:
The camping area will be close to our meeting space & camp kitchen, with access to a compost toilet, bush shower and open-air bath.
* Bell tents are priced per tent and can sleep between one and four people, as follows:
4m tent (sleeps 1-2 people) $650/tent for 5 nights ($325 per person for two sharing)
5m tent (sleeps 1-4 people) $820/tent for 5 nights ($205 per person for four sharing)
MEALS
The retreat is fully catered by our dedicated onsite camp cook. Beginning with dinner on Sunday and ending with lunch on Saturday, they will prepare three delicious meals per day that meet most dietary requirements, as well as treats for morning and afternoon breaks.
At the time of booking we will ask you to provide details of any specific dietary needs you may have, so that these can be accommodated.
TUITION
$1,645 full price | $1,515 early bird (until 30 June)
‘Two Together’ price: $2,961 (Book with a friend and get 10% discount each = $1,280..50 each)
Reserve your spot with a $250 deposit. Please ask us about payment plans
We need a minimum of ten people to run this workshop. We kindly request that you pay a deposit of $250 by 30th April if you would like to secure a place. This will tell us if we have enough numbers to go ahead, with enough lead time so we can commit to booking all of the facilities. We are also happy for you to pay in full, or reserve your place using any of our other available pricing options.
HOW TO GET HERE
By plane: the nearest airport is Coffs Harbour
By road: the Promised Land is a 40-minute drive from Coffs Harbour or a 12-minute drive from Bellingen.
Directions will be emailed to you upon registration
WHAT TO BRING
A photograph of an animal you know well that you’d like to communicate with
Journal and pen
Water bottle
Walking shoes
Waterproof outerwear & warm layers
A full list of what to bring will be emailed to you upon registration
FAQ
Q: Are pets allowed?
A: Please do not bring your pet. There will be an opportunity to communicate with your pet telepathically. Please bring along their photograph so that we can have a chat with them.
Q: Are children allowed?
A: This retreat is not suitable for people younger than 16.
Q: I live nearby, can I drive to and fro each day?
A: In order to create a safe container where deep immersion and nature-connection magic can happen, it is important that everybody remains on site for the duration of the retreat.
If you have any questions please email us via our contact form
